The Product Support Strategy (PSS) is part of the Acquisition Strategy and addresses Product Support as in life cycle sustainment and continuous improvement of product affordability, reliability, and supportability. It ensures that system support and life cycle affordability considerations are addressed and documented (including the depot maintenance requirements and the implications of core requirements) and what is expected from each of the stakeholders. The PSS is detailed in the Life-Cycle Sustainment Plan (LCSP) which document the plan for formulating, integrating, and executing the PSS (including any support contracts) to meet the warfighters mission requirements. The development of the product support strategy is detailed in the 12 Step Product Support Process Model. [1]

The PSS is designed to assure achievement of warfighter capability-driven life cycle product support outcomes documented in Performance Based Agreements (PBA). It’s generally expressed in terms of weapon system materiel availability, reliability, and operations and support cost affordability. The PSS should identify the execution plan to deliver integrated product support (IPS) elements to the warfighter, producing the best value balance of materiel readiness and Total Ownership Cost (TOC).

The PSS integrates sustainment considerations using outcome based metrics to drive management, design, and logistics decisions and actions. This includes: [1]

Establishing a balanced set of sustainment metrics centered around materiel availability

Impacting the system’s design to achieve the sustainment metrics

Fielding the capability to achieve the sustainment metrics

Tracking performance against sustainment metrics and accountability for achieving them

Conducting periodic product support strategy reviews
The product support strategy evolves with the maturation of the weapon system through its various life cycle phases. At Full Rate Production (FRP), the LCSP should describe how the system is performing relative to the performance metrics and any required corrective actions to ensure the metrics are achieved. Reviews and revalidations of the strategy should be performed at a minimum of every 5 years or prior to each change in the strategy to ensure alignment across system, subsystem, and component levels in support of the defined best-value outcomes. [1]

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